Open Space and Recreation Plan 2009
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TOWN OF DARTMOUTH, MA OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN 2009 DNRT and the TTOR: Slocum’s River Reserve Prepared by the Open Space and Recreation Committee On behalf of the Dartmouth Board of Selectman, Conservation Commission, Planning Board, Recreation Commission and Park Department November 2009 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The volunteer Open Space and Recreation Committee has worked over the past year in the creation of this Plan. Members of this Committee included Steven Souza, Tim Lancaster, Beverly King, David Brownell, Dexter Mead, Dr. Steve Russell, Ernest Fisher, Joan Bullard, Joe Vieira, John Haran, John Nunes, Patty Sweriduk, and Steve Melo. A community development consultant, Teri Bernert, was hired by the Town to coordinate the drafting of this Plan. The Center for Policy Analysis at the University of Massachusetts, Dartmouth, was retained by the Town to tabulate the results of the Planning Survey. Sarah Williams, Regional Planner from the Buzzards Bay Project, provided updated maps for the plan. The Open Space and Recreation Committee wishes to thank the following individuals and groups who contributed to the Plan: Sarah Williams, Buzzards Bay Project Dexter Mead and the staff and Board of DNRT Agricultural Commission Clyde Barrow and David Borges, Center for Policy Analysis, UMass DYSA, DGAL, DYAA, DYFL, DYLA Community Preservation Committee Steven Russell, School Department Council on Aging staff Dartmouth Historical Commission Dartmouth Heritage Trust Michael O’Reilly and the Conservation Commission Mark Rasmussen, The Coalition For Buzzards Bay The Trustees of Reservations Michael Steinitz, Massachusetts Historical Commission Planning Department Staff: Donald Perry, Joyce Couture, and Elizabeth Smith-Bochman Park and Recreation Department Staff: Tim Lancaster and Rebecca Amaral SRPEDD Regional Planning Agency Lloyd Center for the Environment i TOWN OF DARTMOUTH Open Space and Recreation Plan 2009 TABLE OF CONTENTS Acknowledgements ..................................................................................................i Index of Maps...........................................................................................................iv Section 1: Plan Summary ............................................................................1 Section 2: Introduction ...............................................................................3 A. Statement of Purpose ............................................................................3 B. Planning Process and Public Participation ........................................10 Section 3: Community Setting ...................................................................12 A. Regional Context ....................................................................................12 B. History of the Community ......................................................................17 C. Population Characteristics.....................................................................20 D. Growth and Development Patterns .......................................................27 E. Local Recreation and Open Space Interests ..........................................35 Section 4: Environmental Inventory and Analysis ...................................46 A. Geology, Soils and Topography..............................................................46 B. Landscape Character .............................................................................46 C. Water Resources ....................................................................................49 D. Vegetation ..............................................................................................64 E. Fisheries and Wildlife ............................................................................72 F. Scenic Resources and Unique Environments .........................................75 G. Environmental Challenges ....................................................................78 Section 5: Inventory of Lands of Conservation and Recreation Interest 81 A. Protected Parcels .................................................................................82 B. Unprotected/Restricted Parcels ...........................................................91 ii Section 6: Community Vision ....................................................................104 A. Description of Process............................................................................104 B. Statement of Open Space and Recreation Goals ....................................104 Section 7: Analysis of Needs .......................................................................105 A. Summary of Resource Protection Needs ................................................105 B. Summary of Community's Needs ............................................................110 C. Management Needs, Potential Change of Use ......................................118 Section 8: Goals and Objectives..................................................................123 Section 9: Five-Year Action Plan................................................................125 Section 10: Public Comments ....................................................................136 Section 11: References ................................................................................140 Section 12: Appendices................................................................................141 A. Town of Dartmouth Open Space and Recreation Survey and Results iii INDEX OF MAPS-2009 OPEN SPACE AND RECREATION PLAN Regional Context Map ...............................................................................................13 Environnemental Justice Populations ........................................................................23 Population Density.....................................................................................................24 Current Land Use.......................................................................................................33 Zoning Map................................................................................................................34 Soils and Geologic Features Map .............................................................................47 Unique Features Map ................................................................................................48 Water Resources Map ...............................................................................................53 Flood Hazard Map ....................................................................................................54 Watershed Map .........................................................................................................55 Aquifer Protection Districts ......................................................................................56 Plant/Wildlife Habitat ................................................................................................70 Vegetative Cover Map ..............................................................................................71 Permanently Protected Lands Map ...........................................................................102 Unprotected and Temporarily Protected Lands Map.................................................103 Service Areas for Recreation Facilities Map ............................................................122 Action Plan Map ........................................................................................................136 iv SECTION 1 PLAN SUMMARY The 2009 Dartmouth Open Space and Recreation Plan is an update of the 2002 Open Space and Recreation Plan. The Plan is intended to act as a blueprint for the future expansion of Dartmouth’s parks and recreational areas, while also recommending strategies for the preservation of Dartmouth’s agricultural lands and natural resources. This Plan has evolved from the previous Open Space and Recreation plans dating from 1988, 1996 and 2002 and the recent 2007 Dartmouth Master Plan and has been redesigned to reflect the opinions of Dartmouth's residents today as well as the changing characteristics of the community. Dartmouth's Open Space and Recreation Plan has been developed in accordance with the applicable requirements and guidelines set forth by the Massachusetts Executive Office of Environmental Affairs, Division of Conservation Services. The Commonwealth requires that all municipalities file an open space and recreation plan every five years as a means of satisfying eligibility requirements for state and federal grant aid offered through the Executive Office of Environmental Affairs. The first step of the Open Space and Recreation Committee to update the plan was the creation of a survey to gather input from Dartmouth residents. With the recent completion of the Dartmouth Master Plan, the Committee decided to develop a targeted survey that centered on open space and recreation issues and undergo an extensive interview process to obtain a good sense of the needs of special interest groups. Based on the survey results, the open space inventory, and needs of special interest groups, the Committee determined that the following open space and recreation needs were critical within the Town: Need to permanently protect and expand unique environments Need to protect farmland resources Need to improve water quality of Dartmouth’s water resources Need to preserve open space within Dartmouth’s aquifer protection districts Need for sustainable development Need to protect Dartmouth’s